Expandable gauge earring plug

ABSTRACT

A body piercing stretching device, comprising a coiled casing, a protruding piece at the beginning of the coiled casing, a source of the structure allowing the coiled casing to expand by twisting the end most point of the coiled casing allowing it to expand, and a gripping member attached to the end-most point of the coiled casing to secure and direct the rotational path of said casing to facilitate manual expansion. Users of this device are individuals that wish to modify the opening of their healed body piercing in a safe, convenient, and economical manner. It can be offered by specialty retailers, body piercing and tattoo shops, body jewelry companies, and so forth.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to the field of jewelry, and more specifically to the field of body piercing devices, such as the expandable gauge earring plug.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Stretching, in the context of body piercing, is the deliberate expansion of a healed piercing for the purpose of wearing certain types of jewelry. Ear piercings are the most commonly stretched body piercings. Women have been adorning their ears with jewelry for thousands of years and today, earrings are worn by both women and men. The practice of stretching ear lobes to adorn the body for cultural, religious and traditional purposes is as old as recorded human history. There is a large variety of jewelry available for stretched ear piercings.

While all piercings can be stretched to some degree, cartilage piercings are usually more difficult to stretch and more likely to form hypertrophic scars if stretched too quickly. Stretching is usually done in small increments to minimize the potential for damaging the healed fistula or creating scar tissue. 00 g, or 10 mm, is considered “the point of no return” where anything 10 mm and up will not close to a standard piercing size, while 9 mm and under will.

Most stretching devices, such as ear piercing plugs (also known as stretchers or expanders), are available in single-sized gauge increments. Stretching methods using these devices are inconvenient and expensive since they require the user to purchase and employ multiple plugs over a period of time.

Thus, there is a need in the art for an easily adjustable, safe, comfortable, and expandable plug to expand body piercings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In certain example embodiments described herein, an expandable gauge earring plug provides an efficient and economical means to stretch or expand a healed body piercing for the purpose of wearing certain types of jewelry.

These and other aspects, objects, features, and advantages of the example embodiments will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of illustrated example embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric side view depicting one embodiment of the invention presented herein.

FIG. 2 is an isometric top view illustrating one embodiment of the gripping member of the invention presented herein.

FIG. 3A is an isometric end view illustrating the coiled body piercing stretching device in accordance with one or more embodiments presented herein.

FIG. 3B is an isometric side view illustrating the coiled body piercing stretching device with gripping member attached to the end most point of the coil in accordance with one or more embodiments presented herein.

FIG. 3C is an isometric end view of the gripping member attached to the end most point of the coiled body piercing stretching device in accordance with one or more embodiments presented herein.

FIG. 4 is an expanded side view of the coiled body piercing stretching device illustrating its internal configuration in accordance with one or more embodiments presented herein.

FIG. 5 is an expanded side view of the coiled body piercing stretching device further illustrating its internal configuration in accordance with one or more embodiments presented herein.

FIG. 6 is an isometric top view depicting the uncoiled body piercing stretching device in accordance with one or more embodiments presented herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The body piercing stretching device described herein provides an efficient and economical means to stretch or expand a healed body piercing for the purpose of wearing certain types of jewelry.

The functionality of the various example embodiments will be explained in more detail in the following description, read in conjunction with the figures illustrating the program flow. Turning now to the drawings, in which like numerals indicate like (but not necessarily identical) elements throughout the figures, example embodiments are described in detail.

FIG. 1 depicts the body piercing stretching device comprising a coiled casing with a protruding piece at the beginning of the coil and an attached gripping member.

FIG. 2 illustrates the gripping member which is attached to the end-most point of the coil to secure and direct the path of the coiled casing sections to facilitate manual expansion. The structure of the coiled casing allows it to expand by twisting the gripping member attached to origin of the coil.

FIGS. 3A and 3C illustrate the internal structure of the body piercing stretching device from each end of the device. FIG. 3B illustrates the internal structure of the body piercing stretching device from the side view of the device.

FIG. 4 further illustrates the internal structure and configuration of the body piercing stretching device from the side view of the device.

Expandable gauge casing 41 is the structure of the coiled casing. Grip 42 is the gripping member attached to the end most point of the coil to secure and direct the path of the coiled casing sections to facilitate manual expansion. Pivot lever 43 in conjunction with tension rod 44 provides means to decrease the diameter of the casing coils. Measured slots 45 in conjunction with tab 46 provide means to secure the coiled casing at a specific size. Button 47 provides means to release tension in order to increase the diameter of the casing coils.

FIG. 5 is a detailed side view of the internal configuration of the coiled body piercing stretching device.

Knob 51 allows release of tension for expansion of the casing coils to measured slots 45. Tab 46 secures the coiled casing in place at the specific size determined by the measured slot. Pivot lever 52 in conjunction with tension rod 53 provides means to decrease the diameter of the casing coils. Button 54 provides means to release tension in order to increase the diameter of the casing coils.

FIG. 6 is a flat, plan view of the uncoiled body piercing stretching device with measured slots and a protruding piece at the beginning end of the coil.

The body piercing stretching device is an expandable plug which the user can place in their ear, and tighten or loosen the unit thereby increasing or decreasing the size of the coiled casing which, in turn, increases or decreases the opening of the healed piercing. This device provides an economical and practical alternative to the tedious and time consuming task of using multiple plugs or heavy expander pieces that hang on the back and front of the earlobe. This compact device provides intermediate sizes comprised into one earring which allows ear lobe modification to be done in a safer and more convenient manner. The body piercing stretching device may also serve as an attractive earring itself, allowing wearers to enjoy the look of an earring while expanding the piercing hole, an additional feature of interest to retailers, tattoo shops, body jewelry companies, and so forth. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A body piercing stretching device, comprising: a coiled casing, a protruding piece at the beginning of the coiled casing, a source of the structure allowing the coiled casing to expand by twisting the end most point of the coiled casing allowing it to expand, and a gripping member attached to the end-most point of the coiled casing to secure and direct the rotational path of said casing to facilitate manual expansion.
 2. The device of claim 1, comprising hypoallergenic materials such as stainless steel and/or noble metals which are resistant to corrosion and oxidation.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the length is approximately five eighths inch.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the overall diameter is approximately five eighths inch.
 5. A method of increasing or decreasing the size of a body piercing comprising placing the device of claim 1 in the healed piercing, and tightening or loosening the device thereby increasing or decreasing the size of the opening by means of a coiled casing assembly. 